The inaugural National Gaming Expo in Tampa, Florida promised to be a dream weekend for gamers, with appearances from the casts of Grand Theft Auto V, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Mortal Kombat, along with iconic voices from Nintendo classics and composer Grant Kirkhope. 
Instead, fans arrived to half-empty halls, missing guests, and-bizarrely-a petting zoo featuring a camel.
Held from August 8 to 10 at the Florida State Fairgrounds, the event’s official website claimed it expected 30,000 attendees, offering photo ops, autographs, cosplay contests, and a bustling vendor scene. Social media promotion by Celebrity Talent Booking and well-known voice actors fueled anticipation, with Rob Wiethoff even teasing ‘exciting news’-which turned out to be nothing more than a Red Dead cast reunion.
Unfortunately, the reunion was as disorganized as the rest of the convention. Single-day passes cost $40, weekends $90, but visitors reported vendor tables selling health insurance and T-Mobile plans instead of gaming merch. One attendee likened it to walking into Best Buy hunting for a new game and finding shelves of broccoli and car parts instead.
Many scheduled guests didn’t show up at all or arrived sporadically, leaving fans confused and disappointed. Paid photo sessions were canceled when the convention’s sole photographer failed to appear. Those looking for refunds swarmed social media, only to find the Expo’s Instagram deleted and its Facebook page locked.
The controversy deepened when it emerged that organizer Michael Wittenberg-formerly head of the National Vape Expo-had spent time in a Dominican Republic prison on THC trafficking charges. While he insists the products were federally legal and claims ignorance about their exact contents, attendees are more concerned with his history of poorly executed events. Some allege he’s left workers unpaid in past ventures.
Actor Ned Luke summed up the sentiment bluntly: “It was a scam… he put the con in comic-con.” Venture Authentics, which had offered autograph send-ins, issued public apologies and promised refunds, making clear the guests weren’t to blame. Roger Clark also confirmed his absence, while some attendees managed to claw back ticket costs via Eventbrite disputes. Others, however, are still out of pocket and out of patience.